First off, I received these free of charge in exchange for an honest review

There was a bit of hype around CCA recently and I had to get in on the action after stepping away from purchasing ChiFi gear but still following relatively closely. Simply put...these has become my go to sub $100 IEM. It's solid, balanced sound is engaging and never fatiguing. I've tested this straight out of a Sony ZX300a, ES100, ES100 paired with Little Bear B4-X for portable. Desktop setup is an Ifi Micro DSD BL paired with a JDS Labs El Amp. It paired well with everything.

The stock tips are very good but I've decided to go with Dekoni Bulletz foam tips. The stock cable is nice though is prone to tangle, no biggie, I opted for a nice 8 core balanced cable from Kinboofi (purchased on Amazon). I don't notice a big difference with balanced with the C10 but I always go for balanced because, why not?! These are comfy and not heavy so they are easy to wear for hours should you choose too. I got them in the Purple and they are gorgeous.

Sub bass has a deep rumble with a good punch, mid bass is in line with the sub bass to my ears with good texture. Mids are spacious allowing for a nicely layered almost holgraphic sound. Treble extends nicely with just the right amount of crispness to sound airy but not too bright or piercing. These are pretty forgiving of poorly recorded music, this rely more on a fun sound rather than analytical.

Vocals are a strong point, a good amount of intimacy without sounding too thick or shouty. Intelligibility is a strong point here.

The stage depth, width and height is about average for where ChiFi is at for the most part nowadays. Long gone seems to be the narrow, congested staging of past earphones in general.

All in all, this is a solid offering and my go to recommendation. This is the type of gear that can show audiophile beginners that not a lot of money can give you a great sound you didn't know can be had.

Hello folks, I'm here today to review the J9 Gaming Headset courtesy of @elaineyin of AOSO. This headset works with PC & PS4, does not work with XBOX as it does not output USB audio. Overall the headset seems to have a nice quality build, with a few minor tweaks they can be really good contenders.
 
Now as far as this review goes I tested a little bit on PC using the only game I really have which is Garry's Mod playing some Prop Hunt, not the best but gave me a good idea. Other than I also tested using a family members PS4, games were CoD Ghosts & Black Ops 3. As far as gaming, I have a 360 & One from XBOX. I've used Turtle Beach, Astros and currently use a HyperX Cloud 2 fed through my Astro Mixamp via Optical to my One. I'm very familiar with gaming headsets & 7.1 surround.
 
Some specs on these:
 
Model:J9 

Frequency range:20-20KHZ 

Impedance:32Ω±15％ 

Interface:USB 

Size:215*210*100mm 

Frequency range:20-20000HZ 

Sensitivity:-94±3dB 

Drive Unit:50mm 

Cable length: Approx. 2.2m 

Microphone size:Φ6.0*2.7mm 

These came in a nicely packaged Blue & Black Box. Nothing extra special but it gets the job done. 

 
The headphones themselves are of a Brushed Bronze color with a large "cat" of some type on the outer shell, not sure why but looks cool. Around the "cat" on the shell, the headphones themselves light up a bright blue color. Looks pretty cool. The earpads are well padded and comfy. The band it self has the two large bands, AKG style. As stated earlier the only input is a long USB cable. Also, is of course the mic, nothing special but looks cool. Now my gripe with the build, these do not have enough clamp force, because of this they do not seal well and slip on my head and tend to just feel bulky though comfy. 
 

 

 

 
 
Now onto the sound, for what they cost, they are good. USB powered really hinders them though, in a sense of versatility and in performance. I found no issues with volume via my Mac. When connected to the PS4 where most testing took place the volume was pretty low, bass did not get boomy b/c it didn't get loud enough, midrange seemed a bit sucked out though the treble was crisp for what it was. I did make sure the console volume output was maxed and the volume dial on the headset itself was maxed out. Oddly enough too, when playing Ghosts it was definitely stereo but when playing BO3 it seemed a bit more 7.1 like. Nothing like through my Astro Mixamp which does virtual surround sound. 
 
In conclusion I will try and do a bit more time testing via a PC with better games at a family members house and will definitely update the review but as of right now I feel there are better options for PS4. For PC I see no issues, everything was clear and sounded good (as good as Garry's Mod can sound haha!).
 
These can be purchased from Amazon for currently $35.99: https://www.amazon.com/AOSO-J9-Headphone-Microphone-Isolating/dp/B01LMXK47M

Today I am reviewing the Yenona Studio Pro Over Ear headphones from Yenona Audio. Special thanks to Allen at Yenona for granting me a small discount in exchange for a review. 
 
I was made aware of these awesome, budget cans by @Pharmaboy. Have to give him a shout out as well. 
 
Link to product, as of 12/11/16 they are $49.99! Cheaper than what I paid by a few bucks, well worth it! https://www.amazon.com/Yenona-Adapter-free-Headphones-Monitoring-Isolation
 

 
 
Let's start off by giving a brief background of myself, I'm currently 29 years old and have been listening to portable audio for about 16 years. In high school many kids had an early days iPod or some sort of MP3 player. I was rocking my good ole Sony Walkman CD player with some around the head over ear Philips earphones. I went through a few Walkman's and quite a bit of those Philips, they were cheap but I didn't know any better and loved em. Eventually by 2006/7 I upgraded to an iPod and moved through a few different gens until earlier this year when I moved onto a few different DAPs (Fiio/Xduoo/Opus), also about one year ago I started getting heavy into Chinese IEMs, thanks to this forum and AliExpress. This has been an expensive but great journey over the last year. 
 
As of current my desktop is a MacBook Pro with a Burson Audio Air via USB and my portable is an Opus#1 DAP. Both essentially have the same performance and essentially neutral sound sig. 
 
Now that that's out of the way let's get into these great budget cans. The Yenona are not made of materials like wood or aluminum/metal but they seem sturdy enough and cutting back a bit on the quality of materials has led to them to put some more money into the focus of the sound. That's what's most important to me, whats the point of super beautiful pair of phones that sounds like dookie, am I right?
 
Some specs:

1. 50mm Drivers
2. 20hz-20khz Frequency Range
3. 32 ohm
4. Sensitivity 110db +/- 3db

 
 
The pads are the main thing on these, big soft pillows that sit on your ears. Headphone itself is relatively light. The headband is nicely padded as well, Yenona is etched in the top with red stitchings on the edges. The outer shells have the Yenona logo, not sure what exactly it is but it looks cool! The cable itself is nothing to write about really, straight plugs, on side is 6.3 and the other is 3.5, the cable is also coiled on the 3.5mm side, and is red in color probably the weakest part of the phone.
 

 


 
 
Now lets get into the most important aspect, the sound! These babies have a pretty well controlled bass, if any bleed its very minimal. The treble is well detailed, large sound that can get a bit bright but is never harsh. I listen to a pretty wide array of music and Yenona have performed well with everything I have thrown at them. I gave them a 150-200 hour burn in, consisting of JLab Burn In track and Drums & Breaks Spotify station. I mainly used this with my Opus#1, pairs fantastic IMO.
 

1. Bass: Punchy and pretty well controlled, goes low but they are not bass cannons. Nor would I want them to be, that would cover up the other freqs. They have just the right amount of bass IMO. Midbass might have slight bleed but that is easily remedied by a pad change which I will cover later. 
2. Mids: Very well detailed and with a very natural sound. They seem to have a slight forward sound but it's not too for forward as to reduce the highs. A good amount of air provides a nice sound space, not a wide stage but nice staging none the less, slightly out of head. Vocals can get a bit strong but I've found it to be track dependent mostly.
3. Highs: Simply put, they are crisp yet they are smooth. The are detailed but non-fatiguing. Many companies will roll off their highs but Yenona has mostly kept them, giving way to some pretty good micro details in them that can get lost in other phones. 

 
Now, for the cons (and mods). Thankfully not to many and none that are of high importance. First off, the 3.5 on the right speaker is not good, it does not hold well, thankfully as said the 6.3 side is the one that plugs into the cans themselves and I use the 3.5 part of the cable for my DAP. Next, the treble can get a bit bright and bass can bleed ever so slightly, thankfully too this can be easily remedied by simply swapping the pads for HM5 pads. The thinner inner of the pad will allow for a bit more airy and clarity while pretty much cutting out that midbass bleed, downside is you lose the big cushion of the stock pads. Also, for about $15 shipped I got a custom 6.3 to 3.5 stereo cable from Cables For Less, I AB'd against the stock cable today and you get a slight boost in clarity and the bass becomes much more well defined. Special thanks to @peter123 for making me aware of the pad mod and sending me his extra pair of pads all the way from Europe!
 

 
 
Overall, these cans are one my favorite purchases I've made so far from this site. In my top 5. Stock they are very, very good. With the couple of cheap mods they are extremely good. I will definitely be keeping my eye on Yenona's future products. 

About Me: I prefer IEMs over full size because of portability and comfort, though I have owned and own a a couple full size cans. I am a 29 year old music lover, i listen to all genres from R&B to Rap, to Rock/Heavy Metal, to Jazz, Oldies, Country, Blues, etc. If its music I will give it a listen!
 
My gear used for testing is in my sig and my profile
 
My main tracks & albums for reviewing are:
 
Chris Jones - Long After You're Gone (FLAC)
Toto - Africa (FLAC)
Sade - Best Of (Album) (FLAC)
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (ALAC)
Lindsey Stirling - Crystallize & Electric Daisy Violin (FLAC)
Michael Jackson - Rock With You & Thriller (FLAC)
Tamia - You Put a Move on My Heart (FLAC)
No Doubt - Hella Good (FLAC)
Phil Collins - Face Value (FLAC)
System of a Down - Toxicity & Aerials (FLAC)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Remastered FLAC)
Ed Sheeran – X (FLAC)
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company, Crossing Over, Hard to See & Undone (320)
Eagles - Hotel California [Acoustic] (320)
Incubus - Aqueous Transmission (320)
Trifonic - Good Enough (320)
Santana - Maria, Maria & Smooth (Ft. Rob Thomas) (320)
Willie Nelson - Crazy (2001 Digital Remaster) (AAC 256)
Rusko - Everyday (Netsky Remix) (320)
Blackmill - Miracle (Album) (320)
Rittz - Next to Nothing (Album) (320)
Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Urban Flora EP (320)
Gareth Emery Ft. Christina Novelli – Concrete Angel & Dynamite (320)
 
Today I’m reviewing Brainwaz Jive, special thanks to Pandora @ Brainwavz for sending me the IEM for review. This unit I chose Android capable for the mic/buttons and Green color. It’s a simple budget IEM, ~$25, that isn’t too flashy and gets the job done sound wise. They don’t do too much but don’t do too little, they are nice Goldilocks find. For my listening I settled with Spiral Dot Medium tips.
 
Build Quality:
Like I said, they aren’t flashy. Cone housings, each side has a distinct “Left” & “Right” wording. Long strain relief at the housing that shows no sign of ripping. The cable is moderately thick and doesn’t hold much memory which is great. Left side of cable has the mic/buttons as usual, they seem to function well. The Y-Split is thick and has a chin slider. The 3.5 plug is again very tough rubber and a 45 degree angle. These very much appear to be built to last though they are light weight.  The isolation is a bit average, they block out most noise, I’m sure Comply will seal the best.
 
Inline Mic:
The sound quality is about average. Not spectacularly clear but not garbled and muffled. They get the job done when I’m driving.
 
Sound:
The sound is very pleasant overall, smooth sound sig. The stage is about average but has a nice in head openness, with enough separation and imaging to provide a good mental image of instrument placement. Surprisingly good clarity and details for this price range, with a present bass line that is not boomy like the same price range A&D D2 which can be overbearing at times. I want to call this a balanced v-shape sound sig.
 
Bass: Digs pretty deep with good mid bass impact. As stated, it doesn’t bleed or interfere with the rest of the frequencies as far as I can tell. I don’t notice it being boomy, pretty well controlled.It has enough rumble and oomph for EDM/Hip Hop and can take a backseat and mellow out for classical or Soft Rock.
 
Mids: Detailed with great clarity, I don’t notice much, if any, veil in these. Slightly held back but vocals and details still shine though. Guitars and Pianos sound natural. Male and Females both come across as pulled back but still sound very good, males vocals can get a bit harsh but it’s not a huge issue. Female vocals are powerful but not sultry as in say the MusicMaker TK13.
 
Treble: They seem to teeter on the edge of soft and crisp. They have a good amount of air and sparkle. They float around your head giving you an almost 3D experience at times.
 
 
Summary:
The Brainwavz Jive hold their own in the competitive budget IEM market. They don’t have the bass impact and rumble of my MusicMaker FengYin but they have a bit more clarity and separation. The solid build quality and nicely balanced V sound sig makes for an entertaining yet relaxed listen when sitting around. 

About Me: I prefer IEMs over full size because of portability and comfort, though I have owned and own a a couple full size cans. I am a 29 year old music lover, i listen to all genres from R&B to Rap, to Rock/Heavy Metal, to Jazz, Oldies, Country, Blues, etc. If its music I will give it a listen!
 
My gear used for testing is in my sig and my profile
 
My main tracks & albums for reviewing are:
 
Chris Jones - Long After You're Gone (FLAC)
Toto - Africa (FLAC)
Sade - Best Of (Album) (FLAC)
Lindsey Stirling - Crystallize & Electric Daisy Violin (FLAC)
Michael Jackson - Rock With You & Thriller (FLAC)
Tamia - You Put a Move on My Heart (FLAC)
No Doubt - Hella Good (FLAC)
Phil Collins - Face Value (FLAC)
System of a Down - Toxicity & Aerials (FLAC)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Remastered FLAC)
Ed Sheeran – X (FLAC)
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company, Crossing Over, Hard to See & Undone (320)
Eagles - Hotel California [Acoustic] (320)
Incubus - Aqueous Transmission (320)
Trifonic - Good Enough (320)
Santana - Maria, Maria & Smooth (Ft. Rob Thomas) (320)
Willie Nelson - Crazy (2001 Digital Remaster) (AAC 256)
Rusko - Everyday (Netsky Remix) (320)
Blackmill - Miracle (Album) (320)
Rittz - Next to Nothing (Album) (320)
Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Urban Flora EP (320)
Gareth Emery Ft. Christina Novelli – Concrete Angel & Dynamite (320)
 
Today I’m reviewing the MusicMaker Shockwave III. Special thanks to @TwinACStacks for letting me borrow his pair for this review. He and I are both big fans of MusicMaker since they seem to almost always produce quality products. This one, at over $200, is no exception. The SW3 looks beautiful and sounds beautiful. These were burned in for 350 hours by Twin.
 
I’ve owned the MusicMaker TK12 and T7; own the TK13, FengYin and have the TKH1 on their way to me.
 
Build Quality:
 
First off, its design. These have gained the nickname KEGGERS, simply because it obviously looks like a beer keg! The housing has weight but is no doubt solid as a keg. I don’t see these falling apart anytime soon.
 
The strain reliefs at the housing are small and simple. They seem to provide enough to get the job done but no more that would detract from the look. The cable is self is supple, not holding to much memory but appears to be very sturdy and won’t tear.
 
These are large and have some weight to them but are comfortable. I prefer to wear them over ear, helps with the weight a little bit. The isolation is superb frankly, put some music on and feel the "shock waves". 
 
Sound:
WOWZA. If you aren’t aware these are a 4 BA + 1 DD PER SIDE. Of course all of that means nothing if not implement correctly. These have a wide 3D soundstage. The sound will envelope you. The details flow out like a crisp Ale on tap. They can be a bit bright it is nothing too bad though compared to other. IEMs I’ve heard. Auvio tips (sold in the USA only) will help tame that a bit.

1. Bass: It’s present, almost to the front but never overstepping its boundaries. It digs deep and it’s textured, a good amount of oomph but never boomy.
2. Mids: Detailed, slightly held back with a push in vocals. This is basically what many call the W-shaped sound sig that is common with MusicMaker IEMs IMO.
3. Treble: Crisp and detailed with good extension and sparkle. They have a good amount of air, making it all seem to just float around your head in massive amount of space.

 
To sum it up, these are the most expensive earphones I’ve ever heard and they did not disappoint. The sound is one of entertainment that will leave you wanting more. You will be smiling the whole time. You want bass that hits you in the face? Check. Mids and Highs that provide massive amounts of detail and clarity? Check. Overall gorgeous sound stage/head stage presentation? Check.
 
I do feel these will pair best with a warm to neutral source, anything bright may push it over the edge. 
 
Now to send these back to Twin...I am saddened... 

Hello, my name is Justin and this is my second review on here! Hopefully many more will come as I practice writing and getting new gear. 
 
First off I'd like to thank Pandora @ Brainwavz again for allowing me to review this superb IEM. I gave them a solid 100 hour burn in after an initial listening session, I honestly didn't notice much change besides the bass coming out to play, treble opening up a bit. 
 
About Me: I prefer IEMs over full size because of portability and comfort, though I have owned and own a few full size cans. I am a 28 year old music lover, i listen to all genres from R&B to Rap, to Rock/Heavy Metal, to Jazz, Oldies, Country, Blues, etc. If its music I will give it a listen!
 
My main tracks for reviewing are:
 
Chris Jones - Long After You're Gone (FLAC)
Toto - Africa (FLAC)
Sade - Best Of (Album) (FLAC)
Lindsey Stirling - Crystallize & Electric Daisy Violin (FLAC)
Michael Jackson - Rock With You & Thriller (FLAC)
Tamia - You Put a Move on My Heart (FLAC)
No Doubt - Hella Good (FLAC)
Phil Collins - Face Value (FLAC)
System of a Down - Toxicity & Aerials (FLAC)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Remastered FLAC)
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company, Crossing Over, Hard to See & Undone (320)
Eagles - Hotel California [Acoustic] (320)
Incubus - Aqueous Transmission (320)
Trifonic - Good Enough (320)
Santana - Maria, Maria & Smooth (Ft. Rob Thomas) (320)
Willie Nelson - Crazy (2001 Digital Remaster) (AAC 256)
Rusko - Everyday (Netsky Remix) (320)
Blackmill - Miracle (Album) (320)
Rittz - Next to Nothing (Album) (320)
 

 
 
Build: 
 
Like I said, its solid. The strain reliefs have give but appear to be made of a thick rubber. I don't see them tearing anytime soon. This is good for my friend who I gave these to. He caught the SM E80 in his desk drawer which ripped the cable from the housing. The flat cable is comfortable over ear. The isolation is superb. You can barely hear anything going on externally even at a low volume. I did choose to use tips from my Puro IEM500. The housings are a tad big but are lightweight. I even used these out on a walk a few times and it was perfectly fine
 
Sound:
 

1. Bass: The bass came out to play with burn in. Still it was neutral and did lack sometimes in electronic music BUT due to this it was a very pleasant relaxing listen and was able to allow the single driver to showcase the other frequencies with easy instead of being congested and muddy. Its fast and has a good punch
2. Mids: While being a balanced, almost neutral IEM the mids really shine. They are not forward nor recessed. They have a ton of detail. They have a good enough amount of air that music is a joy to listen to. 
3. Highs: They are detailed and crisp without being too bright. I'm treble sensitive and they are non-tatiguing

 
The overall sound for me was, as stated, very pleasant. The only con I could see is they lack a bit of sub bass rumble and give some energy to electronic & hip hop but if you take them for what they are designed to be, a balanced and fairly neutral IEM then you should have no qualms.

Let me start off by saying, this is my very first review (Special thanks to Pandora @ Brainwavz for the Free Sample for a review) and also this is my very first Bluetooth IEM. 
 
 
About Me: I prefer IEMs over full size b/c of portability and comfort. I listen to all genres from R&B to Rap, to Rock/Heavy Metal, to Jazz, Oldies, Country, Blues, etc.
 
 
I tested the BLU-200 using my Asus Q550LF, iPod Touch 4th Gen, LG V10 and my girlfriend iPhone 6. There are tons of reviews on this IEM so I'm going to keep this short and to the point, giving my personal opinions. 
 
 
Connectivity: Easy to connect, just turn on the BT on your device and hold down the middle button on the Blu-200 and you will get an audible message saying "Power On...Pairing/Connecting". Usually its very fast to connect. My issue is with audio cutting out. I was just listening to Spotify on my V10, while charging and the phone in my face and I started getting audio cut outs for about 1-2 minutes then it went back to being perfectly fine. My girlfriend experiences similar audio issues when she is using it.
 
BUILD: These are large and hefty but they do not feel heavy in the ears. They definitely appear to be durable considering they are for an active lifestyle. 
 
Sound: The sound is very, erm, strange to me. I tried my trusty Auvio tips but they didn't make much difference so I stuck to either Med or Large stock tips. No matter what, I almost always got driver flex, these need a port hole on the next model. I think this will also help out the bass to breathe a bit. 
 

1. Bass: The bass is strong and deep, almost to point of bloat but it holds off. Walks a thin line but it is a straight line. I think a port hole to help the bass gain some definition will help.
2. Mids: Recessed but still have good detail and clarity
3. Treble: The treble at first I thought was bright but upon more listening it is actually quite smooth, decent extension, enough energy to help with workouts

 
The overall sound though is where it gets kind of strange to me. The bass is heavy but the overall treble sounds very thin, almost like a coherency issue between drivers but it is a single 9.2mm driver. I guess I would describe it to me as having a 2.1 speakers in your ear drums. A bit less bass , pull the mids forward enough to create a more forward, thick sound, then I believe I'd have a winner considering the sound stage is pretty wide and the clarity is above average. FWIW my girlfriend absolutely loves these so they are now hers. 
 
In conclusion, these are solidly built Sport BT IEM. May not be for me since I don't use BT, BUT I can definitely see the appeal in these. You are using these for on the go/working out. You aren't using these for an audiophile experience. You want something portable and lightweight with no cables, with a sound that will provide you with energy to push through whatever you are doing.